This article is for GP practice staff using Accurx Inbox who want to set their own out-of-office or set it on behalf of a colleague.
📋 Before you start:
Out-of-office (OOO) is live for GP practices.
You can set OOO for yourself. Workspace admins can also set OOO for colleagues.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.
🔍 What is Out of Office?
Out-of-office (OOO) lets you tell Accurx when you'll be away, so incoming and existing conversations don't sit waiting for someone who isn't there. When you set OOO, you can choose your dates and, if you'd like, a cover — a colleague or team member who should pick up your work while you're out.
This is especially useful for anyone taking leave for more than a day or two, such as a GP off for a couple of weeks or longer.
✍️ How to set your own Out of Office
1. Open your account settings in Accurx.
2. Find the Out of Office section.
3. Set the start and end dates for when you'll be away.
4. Choose whether you'd like to set a cover for a specific colleague or a team who should take on your work while you're out.
5. Save your changes.
💡 Pro-tip: If you know your leave dates in advance, you can schedule your OOO ahead of time rather than waiting until your last day.
🤝 What happens while you're away
Once your OOO is active:
Colleagues will see you're OOO — your status appears in the assignee picker, so anyone assigning a conversation can see you're away.
Existing conversations move to your cover — if a patient or colleague responds to a conversation already assigned to you, it's automatically reassigned to your cover.
New conversations move to your cover too — anything that would otherwise land with you is redirected instead. An event is added to the conversation, making it clear it's been reassigned and why.
If you haven't set a cover, conversations will simply stay assigned to you and won't be automatically redirected, so it's worth setting one if you want your work covered while you're out.
🏢 Setting Out of Office for a colleague (admins)
Workspace admins can set OOO on behalf of a colleague who is away, which is useful if someone goes on leave unexpectedly or forgets to set their own.
1. Go to your workspace settings.
2. Find the Out of Office section.
3. Select the colleague you want to set OOO for.
4. Set their dates and, if needed, a cover — following the same options as above.
5. Save your changes.
🧠 Things to keep in mind
What if I schedule my OOO to start tomorrow, but I've already left for the day today?
OOO only takes effect from the date it's set to start. If a conversation is assigned to you after you've left for the day but before your OOO officially begins, it won't be redirected to your cover until your OOO becomes active. If this matters to your team, consider setting a cover or flagging with a colleague before you leave.
Can I still be assigned things manually while OOO?
Colleagues will see your OOO status in the assignee picker, which should make it clear you're away, but this is a visual indicator rather than a hard block. If a cover is set, anything assigned to you is automatically redirected to them regardless.
Does this affect patient appointment activity too?
Yes. Appointment-related activity in a conversation is also redirected to your cover while you're OOO, just like messages.
What to expect
Once OOO is set, you'll see your own status reflected in the assignee picker, and if you've set a cover, your conversations will start moving to them automatically from your start date. When you return, simply edit or remove your OOO dates, and everything goes back to normal.
If you have any further questions or feedback, please get in touch with our support team using the message bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of this page 👉